Cubetcha MN 2025

Inside the New Brighton Community Center, the distinct rhythmic clacking of plastic mechanisms echoed across the competition floor as competitors took their stations. Across two busy days on October 18 and October 19, the weekend brought ninety-five competitors together in New Brighton, Minnesota, USA. Solvers of all skill levels gathered to test their speed, pattern recognition, and mechanical precision. For two full days, the venue served as an arena where technical dexterity met intense concentration, staging eighteen total rounds across nine diverse disciplines.

The 3x3x3 One-Handed event took center stage as a supreme test of manual discipline and ergonomic execution. Solving a standard Rubik's Cube with a single hand forces a competitor to rethink finger tricks entirely, relying heavily on pinky and index turns against the table or palm. Brian Johnson proved exceptionally fluent in this demanding format, securing first place with an average of 10.28 seconds and laying down a dazzling single of 7.76. Nathan Phillips finished as runner-up with an average of 12.47, while Andy Wong captured third place with 12.67 in a tightly contested final round.

Johnson continued his dominant form throughout Cubetcha MN 2025, topping the standard 3x3x3 Cube field across three rounds of play. In the main event, Johnson logged a 6.22 winning average alongside a tournament-best single of 5.54 to secure the victory. Carter Kucala took the second podium spot with a 6.95 average, while Nathan Phillips claimed third place averaging 7.56. The competitive 3x3 results demonstrated sharp execution across the ninety-four entrants who took to the solving stations in the premier discipline.

The rapid-fire 2x2x2 Cube saw Johnson collect another title at the tournament, capturing first place with a 1.36 average and a 1.18 single across eighty-three competitors. Nathan Rahn pushed the pace to earn second place with a 1.41 mark, edging out Kucala who finished third at 1.50. Carter Kucala gained his own victories elsewhere on the schedule, taking the Skewb title with an average of 2.39 ahead of Johnson at 3.08 and Tyler Robinson at 3.24, while also sharing the top step in 3x3x3 Fewest Moves alongside Johnson as both logged matching averages of 22.33, with Walker Welch taking third at 22.67.

Big cube specialists found plenty of runway in the longer events, where Nathan Phillips demonstrated endurance on the high-order layers. Phillips swept the big cubes, winning the 6x6x6 Cube with an average of 1:30.50 and capturing the 7x7x7 Cube with a 2:07.59 average over Tyler Johnson at 2:28.50 and Hana Nakano at 2:44.64. In Megaminx, Tyler Robinson conquered the twelve-sided puzzle with an average of 39.28. Andy Wong showcased remarkable spatial memory in 3x3x3 Blindfolded, navigating the memorization and execution phases without sight to win with a best single of 16.40 seconds ahead of Kucala at 24.82.

Beyond the podium battles, significant milestones unfolded throughout the open rounds of the WCA competition. Zeke King produced one of the sharpest drops of the weekend in 3x3x3 One-Handed, recording a personal best of 15.60 seconds to finish 61.3 percent faster than his previous 40.34 mark, alongside a 10.88 personal best in the 3x3x3 Cube. Arie Lommen delivered a massive 55.3 percent improvement in Skewb with a personal best of 4.92 seconds down from 11.00, while also cutting his Megaminx mark by 16.3 percent to 1:24.40. Aiden Fremgen chopped 48.5 percent off his Skewb personal best with a 9.55 clocking and entered four events, while Jackson Bundy slashed his 2x2x2 Cube personal best by 39.8 percent to 6.18 and tackled his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed with a time of 48.09.

Other competitors expanded their tournament repertoires by taking on brand new disciplines in Minnesota. Gabe Erickson took on seven events, registering his first ever attempt at the 7x7x7 Cube in 5:04.68, improving his 2x2x2 Cube mark by 25.2 percent to 2.29, and placing sixth in 2x2x2. Emmet Jeffrey completed his first ever attempt at Skewb with a 9.70 while knocking 36.6 percent off his 2x2x2 Cube personal best down to 9.79. Ryan Micke logged five events, highlighted by his first ever attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 28.37, a first Skewb attempt of 9.69, and a 10.92 personal best in 3x3x3. Meanwhile, Vihaan Shah logged a first ever attempt at Skewb in 9.62 and a first attempt at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 33.17.

The competitive action highlighted the broad appeal of modern speedcubing, with USA competitors locking down all twenty-seven available podium positions across the weekend. From the single-handed agility required in one-handed solving to the sustained focus needed for blindfolded attempts, every discipline tested different problem-solving strengths. As the timer tables were packed away and the venue cleared, the success of Cubetcha MN 2025 left participants with new personal bests and valuable experience for the 2025 speed cubing calendar.